1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a sprouter, and particularly to a sprouter having a side wall or walls constructed from a suitable wood, such as redwood, and having a base which retains a predetermined quantity of water for supplying the needs of sprouts in the growing chamber for a predetermined length of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sprouters have been proposed for satisfying the needs of the modern suburban family for obtaining a sprout crop in the kitchen or other suitable area of the home. U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,263, issued July 21, 1964, to G. Wang, discloses a sprouter for growing edible beans and like crops in which a sponge bottom surface is provided for the crops, and a suitable cover is provided for permitting the crops to be immersed in darkness. As brought out in column 2, lines 14 through 19, of U.S. Pat. No. 3,141,263, leguminous sprouts for eating and similar purposes are ideally grown in the dark so as to obtain the optimum quality of texture and succulence of the sprouts, together with an uninterrupted uniformity in the growth of the sprout, while inhibiting their tendency toward manufacturing chlorophyll.
Another example of a sprouter known in the prior art can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,209,938, issued Dec. 26, 1916, to W. H. Collins. Further, U.S. Pat. Nos.: 979,175, issued Dec. 20, 1910, to H. L. Lapham; U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,057,877, issued Apr. 1, 1913, to J. M. Peeples; and 1,094,813, issued Apr. 28, 1914, to M. P. Reynolds, disclose trays intended for the purpose of testing seeds, while U.S. Pat. Nos.: 606,140, issued June 21, 1898, to J. A. Haskett; 2,494,275, issued Jan. 10, 1950, to H. A. Abbott; and 3,164,281, issued Jan. 5, 1965, to A. R. Williams, Jr., disclose collapsible crates and light containers which have features that could be used with sprouters and like containers.
A difficulty encountered with sprouters in general is that the sprouts tend to grow through any hole, crack, or crevice available in the structure forming the growing chamber of the sprouter. When cloth, wire, plastic, or molded screens are used as the base of the sprouter, cleaning of the mesh is difficult, and the tighter the mesh the more difficult it is to remove all traces of old roots. With larger mesh, there is a tendency to rinse away the seeds themselves. Cloth and similar absorbent materials are by far the most difficult to keep clean, and are extremely prone to mildew and odor. In most climates, great user resistance to sprouting occurs when the sprout crops develop recurrent putrefaction, mold and fungus. The sprouting medium or material used as the base or bottom of the sprouter has a direct bearing on the incidents of these problems.
Another difficulty encountered with the use of sprouters is that they must be frequently opened up and watered. Sometimes the sprouts must be watered several times a day.